WSBK in Imola

16.07.2023

Saturday

The Italian Round Race 1 held today at the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari in Imola delivered another great show to all WorldSBK fans. After the start, the race saw Locatelli (Yamaha), Bassani (Ducati), and Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) taking turns at the lead, while Alvaro Bautista (who started from fourth ) remained in the leading group. Then the duel between the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team rider and Razgatlioglu ignited with Bautista finally taking the lead with eight laps to go, and his progression was decisive until the checkered flag.

Like his teammate, Michael Rinaldi had also to deal with an unfortunate qualifying as the yellow flags denied him the pole or, at least, an almost certain front row at the last corner. As he was starting from eighth on the grid, the Italian rider gritted his teeth and was the protagonist of a solid comeback, which saw him secure an excellent fifth place.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #1)
"It was a tough race. I am delighted because I did not expect to be able to go this fast, especially after yesterday's free practice, where my feeling was not the best. However, lap after lap. I regained confidence despite a strong tussle. I tried to figure out where to attack Toprak, and when I felt the confidence at the front was good, I could pass him. It was a good Saturday, but now let's think about tomorrow".

Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #21)
"For sure, today's qualifying was affected by the yellow flags. I am still not in my best physical condition, but I did my best and gave all my heart to make a comeback in the race. I did not want to push too much, especially at the beginning, because it was important to score some points. I tried to catch Locatelli for fourth, but the gap was too wide after the previous comeback. I hope to be able to do a good Superpole Race tomorrow to start further ahead in Race 2".

Sunday

It was a Sunday of contrasting feelings in a scorching Imola that saw Race 2 shortened by five laps due to the prohibitive temperatures. Alvaro Bautista was the protagonist of a thrilling battle with Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) in the Superpole Race (P2), but in Race-2, he made a mistake at the first chicane and crashed out.
Michael Rinaldi gritted his teeth to finish both races in the top 5 to bring home precious points for the overall standings eventually.
These were the highlights of the WorldSBK Italian Round held at the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari in Imola.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #1)
"There is little to say. I made a trivial mistake passing on the white line on the first lap. It can happen, and the important thing is to know what happened. It's a shame because the feeling has grown a lot over the weekend, and that's a positive thing anyway. See you in Most".

Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #21)
"I gave it all and am happy to have brought some precious points home. Today was tough, I tried to push, but I felt I was at 50% of my potential. From tomorrow I'll be able to resume training with consistency to arrive in the best possible conditions at Most".

Race results

Pos.	Nr.	Driver	Bike	Time-gap to Leader
1	54	T. Razgatlioglu	YZF R1
2	47	A. Bassani	Panigale V4R	1.966
3	65	J. Rea	ZX-10RR	2.458
4	55	A. Locatelli	YZF R1	6.111
5	21	M. Rinaldi	Panigale V4R	11.154
6	28	B. Ray	YZF R1	12.210
7	76	L. Baz	M1000 RR	13.319
8	45	S. Redding	M1000 RR	13.775
9	9	D. Petrucci	Panigale V4R	19.122
10	7	I. Lecuona	CBR1000 RR-R	22.770
11	87	R. Gardner	YZF R1	23.214
12	77	D. Aegerter	YZF R1	25.082
13	31	G. Gerloff	M1000 RR	25.179
14	97	X. Vierge	CBR1000 RR-R	25.199
15	5	P. Oettl	Panigale V4R	31.141
16	34	L. Baldassarri	YZF R1	31.297
17	16	G. Ruiu	M1000 RR	44.753
18	20	R. Tamburini	CBR1000 RR-R	45.863
19	51	E. Granado	CBR1000 RR-R	46.190
RET	22	A. Lowes	ZX-10RR	4 Laps
RET	32	I. Vinales	ZX-10RR	7 Laps
RET	52	O. Konig	ZX-10RR	8 Laps
RET	91	L. Haslam	M1000 RR	9 Laps
RET	53	T. Rabat	ZX-10RR
RET	1	A. Bautista	Panigale V4R

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